2025 Toyota GR Corolla: GR-DAT eight-speed automatic vs manual

Boo! Shame on Toyota! Down with this sort of thing, etc.

So, honestly, did anyone expect Toyota’s Gazoo Racing outfit to lob a mushy automatic gearbox into its hugely in-demand hot hatch and call the job done? Of course not. If anything, they care more about raising the GR Corolla’s baseline performance than the rest of us watching from the pit wall, and the 2025 updates are largely about sharpening an already strong package. Yes, that includes a new eight-speed automatic transmission that was engineered with performance in mind from day one. And we’ll be blunt: it swaps cogs better than you do.

Ouch. But I'm really good at driving and stuff!

We don’t doubt it. Toyota has factored in all your supposed wizardry at the wheel and built a transmission intended to make you even quicker. It’s the GR-DAT - Gazoo Racing Direct Automatic Transmission - an eight-speed unit designed around ultra-rapid downshifts, backed by software that attempts to anticipate what you’ll do next.

Using your brake and throttle inputs, the logic - honed through extensive circuit and rally development - changes gear almost before you commit to your next action, so you’re already sitting in the right ratio when you need it. In effect, it lets the rest of us shift with pro-level speed, and in a few scenarios, perhaps even outpace them.

Interesting. What about other upgrades?

Beyond the gearbox, the GR Corolla gets a spread of small, meaningful revisions aimed at making the whole experience better. For starters, the turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder still produces 300 hp, but torque rises from 273 lb ft (370 Nm) to 295 lb ft (400 Nm) - a figure that, at launch, was reserved for the Morizo special edition. Cooling has also been addressed: automatic models gain dedicated routing to improve transmission-fluid cooling. There’s been a long list of suspension refinements too, right down to thicker bolts in certain areas.

On the software side, Toyota has reworked the all-wheel-drive mode selector to suit a wider range of surfaces. Previously, you chose between a front-biased set-up, a rear-biased set-up, or a 50:50 track split. Now, Normal keeps the familiar 60:40 front-led distribution, while a 50:50 balance is assigned to the Gravel mode - a nod to how much dirt testing the GR programme has done. Track mode becomes variable, shifting according to conditions, and can move between 60:40 and 30:70 as it detects which end needs more drive.

Okay, but… what if I still want the manual GR Corolla?

Relax - the manual GR Corolla isn’t being pushed out. Any upgrades that aren’t automatic-specific also carry over to the stick-shift car. Better still, the manual has had attention of its own. Toyota says the clutch now snaps back more sharply on the return stroke, for a more immediate, responsive feel. Toyota also says both versions can still manage 0–97 km/h (0–60 mph) in 4.9 seconds and run on to 230 km/h (143 mph), so choosing to stay loyal to the manual doesn’t mean you’re getting the short end of the… stick.

Whew. How do they feel side by side?

More different than you might expect. In plenty of cars, switching between an automatic and a manual barely changes the character - it’s basically “X car, now with Y gearbox”, and the rest feels the same, apart from your personal preferences. The GR Corolla bucks that trend, and we weren’t quite prepared for how distinct the two versions feel.

Let’s deal with the eight-speed elephant first: what’s the automatic like? It’s good - genuinely. The transmission has been thoroughly tested and calibrated, and it’s stout enough to take repeated track punishment, to the point where it supports a launch-control routine. In normal driving, it’s rare to find yourself thinking the gearbox is working against you, and you’d need to be deliberately snooty to reject the ratios it picks.

With that workload removed, you can concentrate on placing the GR Corolla exactly where you want it, and doing so as quickly as possible. With drive sent to all four wheels, the hatch clings to the tarmac with real commitment, even with traction control disabled and the system sometimes leaning rearwards. Will it rotate? Yes, especially under braking. But if your priority is speed and repeatability, the GR’s new automatic is excellent at delivering smooth, rapid, consistent laps.

If you want more involvement, the paddles are ready for manual control - and that meaningfully changes the way the car behaves. The gearbox still handles the hard work, but you’re now responsible for the decisions, for better or worse. The paddle operation gets remarkably close to letting you try to break things: hold a low gear and it will allow you to hit the redline. Charge into a corner and call for a lower downshift than you strictly need and, chances are, it’ll oblige. Even so, with fewer steps between ratios, it’s now easier to drop into the more slide-y gears: brake, flick, turn in, get on the power, grin.

And speaking of grins, the manual GR Corolla is still the one that’s the most playful. The automatic may be superb for lap times, and the lenient paddle logic stops it feeling purely serious, but the manual car is daft in the best way. Toyota flagged clutch tweaks, yet we’re convinced there’s more going on, because the latest manual transmission feels tighter, punchier, and more substantial than we remember.

Beyond the obvious differences in how each gearbox operates, the manual GR Corolla also came across as noticeably lighter than the firm, planted automatic-equipped hatch. “What’s the weight difference between them?” 20 kg (45 lb). One plate, in gym parlance. It’s hardly a massive gap, and yet the manual car seemed to lift and float just a touch more through bends. Odd, but it only reinforced this version’s more mischievous character.

Sick. How much?

Expect to pay extra for what the automatic brings to the table. Across the three grades, the entry Core GR Corolla costs US$40,860 with the AT, compared with US$38,860 to get into the MT. Step up to the Premium trim and the price rises, adding a JBL sound system, parking sensors, several interior niceties, and some glossy exterior pieces.

At the top, Premium Plus lands at US$47,515. That includes the new automatic transmission, a carbon fibre roof, and a roof bulge to go with the one in your, er, wallet.

So what’s the final takeaway?

It’s genuinely reassuring that Toyota hasn’t simply coasted after the GR Corolla’s initial, massively successful run. Alongside a suite of incremental upgrades, the new automatic transmission is a meaningful enhancement to what the car already does well. The GR Corolla is now easier to access than ever, but this isn’t a token option for people who can’t row their own gears - it’s a properly serious alternative that should make drivers of every skill level stop and think about what they value most.

It would be a shame to deny yourself performance out of stubborn loyalty to a particular component. Taken as a whole, the updated GR Corolla makes going quickly simpler and, crucially, more enjoyable - which is all we ever wanted.